Cranesville Swamp Preserve

Cranesville Swamp © Harold Malde

Why You Should Visit
A window into ice ages past, Cranesville Swamp is located in a "frost pocket," an area where the surrounding hills capture moisture and cold air that conspire to create a landscape more reminiscent of habitat found much further north in Canada. An information booth identifies several trails, one of which includes a quarter-mile boardwalk over the swamp. Admission is free.

Location
Central Appalachian Forest Ecoregion
Preston County, West Virginia and
Garrett County, Maryland
One hour and thirty minutes southeast of Morgantown, WV

Size
1600 acres

Conditions
The Nature Conservancy's Cranesville Swamp Preserve is open year-round during daylight hours to the public for hiking and nature study.   The preserve parking area is easily accessible from WV County Road 47-1 that connects Lake Ford MD to Cranesville, WV.  The preserve has several trails starting at the parking area that are clearly marked, all of which are easily walked.  Please respect neighboring home owners by staying on the preserve.

How to Prepare for Your Visit

• Bring plenty of drinking water, sun protection (sunscreen, hat, sunglasses), rain gear, and bug protection. Binoculars, field guides, and a camera may be useful. 
• Pets are not allowed on Conservancy preserves or field trips. 
• Smoking is not permitted. 
• Please do not remove any plants, animals, or rocks.

Please help us maintain this unique natural environment by taking home everything that you bring, including biodegradable materials.

Much of the preserve is easily walked, but there are some wet and boggy areas, so please bring proper footwear. Please walk on the designated trails or boardwalk.  Weather conditions are often cooler and wetter than nearby locations at lower elevations.  Be prepared for these conditions before you visit.

Directions
From Morgantown, WV (approximately 1.5 hours):

• Take I-68 east to Keysers Ridge, MD exit 14 and follow Route 219 south for 19 miles.
• From Route 219, turn right (west) on Mayhew Inn Road, and after 1.4 miles turn left on Bray School Road.
• In 1.6 miles at a T intersection, turn right on Oakland/Sang Run Road (Route 15).
• After 1 mile, turn left on Swallow Falls Road and follow for 2.6 miles to a sign for Youghiogheny Mountain Resort.
• At the sign, take a hard right on Cranesville Road.
• After approximately 4 miles, turn left onto Muddy Creek Road and immediately park on the gravel behind the red house at the corner of the intersection. Our informational kiosk with brochures, trail guides, and other information can be found here.
• To get to the trail head for the swamp, visitors must take a left back onto Cranesville Rd. and take the next left onto Lake Ford Rd.
• Take a sharp right curve in the road and stay to the right at the fork.
• Stay to the right at the next fork in the road, and Cranesville Swamp is 0.2 mile down the gravel road. Park in the lot.

What to See: Plants
The wetland communities throughout this large site are of exceptional quality and integrity.  Much of the wet bog community is co-dominated by Sphagnum moss, Speckled Alder (Alnus rugosa), Roughish Arrowwood (Viburnum dentatum), Glade St. John's-wort (Hypericum densiflorum), various sedges (Carex folliculata, and C. stricta), and grasses (Phalaris arundinacea and Leerzia orysoides).   Many interesting bog species such as round-leaved sundew (Drosera rotundifolia) and narrowleav gentian (Gentiana linearis) can be observed from the boardwalk.

The acidic conifer swamp forest at Cranesville Preserve is also exceptional, Tall Eastern Hemlock (Tsuga canadensis) and Red Spruce (Picea rubens) dominate, with local patches of dense Great Laurel (Rhododendron maximum) and mossy ground cover including Trilobite Liverwort (Bazzania trilobata).

Cranesville Swamp is the southern most locality for Larch (Larix laricina), with the next closest population approximately sixty miles northeast at Finzel Swamp, Maryland.
 
Due to the immense size and diversity of this wetland and the corresponding number of rare and endangered species present, this wetland is an extremely high protection priority.

What to See: Animals
Many common bird species can be observed from the trails and boardwalk.  Black bear, wood ducks, and deer are frequently observed in the shrub thickets surrounding Muddy Creek.

Rare mammals documented at this preserve include the Northern water shrew and state-rare breeding birds found here are the golden-crowned kinglet, alder flycatcher, Nashville warbler, and saw-whet owl.

What the Conservancy Has Done/Is Doing
In 1965, Cranesville Swamp was one of the first National Natural Landmarks designated by the National Park Service. The mountain peatlands created by this rare mix of altitude, temperature, and precipitation are home to a spectacular range of plants, birds, and mammals.

• 1,600 acres purchased by The Nature Conservancy since 1960 
• volunteer Weed Watchers monitor the preserve for new weeds 
• trail enhancement project, May 2002
• spruce forest restoration, April 2003 and 2004
• saw-whet owl and flying squirrel research, 1990’s

Download a Cranesville Swamp Preserve Brochure
(.pdf, 464 kb)